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The loss pushed the Giants to 1-8 at the time and seemed like a low point for the team. It included poor performances from several players and second-year cornerback Eli Apple was reportedly the subject of some harsh criticism during the meeting.

The cornerback taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft was so upset with pointed criticism directed at him by coaches and especially his teammates that not once, but twice, he nearly walked out of the team facility, seeking to get away from it all.

Schwartz reports that his teammates “lit into Apple for his lack of effort” on two specific plays. One was when Apple was blocked out of bounds and didn’t appear to fight to get back into the play while the other came when he was a special teams gunner on punt coverage and failed to show effort in getting off his blocker.

After having a relatively quiet first season off of the field, it hasn’t been the same for Apple in Year 2. He has had his gripes with the coaching staff in terms of playing time and has been benched on more than one occasion this season.